Patna : Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, a senior BJP leader and former Union minister, has claimed he is facing death threats following his public support for the Waqf Amendment Bill. The threats, which he says have come via phone calls and social media, emerged after he praised the passage of the bill through both houses of Parliament.
Speaking to local media in Patna, Hussain said he would not be intimidated. “Freedom for those who loot property is over. I’m not afraid,” he said. “Abuse does not make any difference to me.”
The Waqf Amendment Bill, recently cleared by both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, seeks to regulate the administration of Waqf properties—endowments made for religious or charitable purposes among India’s Muslim community. Hussain, in a Facebook post congratulating the government on the bill, found himself at the centre of a backlash online.
At a press conference in Samastipur on Saturday, Hussain said the opposition was misleading the public. “There is no need for Muslims to panic,” he said. “This bill will benefit poor Muslims financially and improve their condition. The corruption that existed in the Waqf Board will now end. Properties will be used properly, for the community’s benefit.”
He added that the bill aims to protect Waqf properties from being sold off or occupied unlawfully, a practice he says had been enabled by a “free hand” given to influential individuals in the past.
The BJP spokesperson also suggested the bill would have political implications in Bihar. “It will have a good impact on the elections. NDA’s vote share is going to increase,” he said on Friday, while downplaying recent desertions from ally Janata Dal (United). “The so-called leaders who are leaving JDU are not big names. No one even knows them.”
Hussain emphasised that the legislation had been passed with the support of NDA partners, including JD (U), LJP (R) and the HAM (S) party. “This bill will secure the rights of poor Muslims, orphans and widows,” he said. “The days of exploiting Waqf properties are over.”
Who is Shahnawaz Hussain?
A prominent Muslim face of the BJP, Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, 57, hails from Supaul, Bihar. He was first elected to the Lok Sabha from Kishanganj in 1999 and held the independent charge of the Coal Ministry in the Vajpayee government (2003–2004).
Though he lost the 2004 election, he returned to Parliament from Bhagalpur in 2006 and retained the seat in 2009. He was defeated again in 2014. In 2021, he was elected unopposed to the Bihar Legislative Council and served as Industry Minister until 2022, when the change of government led to his ouster.
